Air injection in smoking



Dec. 27, 1966 P. GUSTAFSON 3,294,098

AIR INJECTION IN SMOKING Filed Aug. 15, 1964 Jar MW, 5% flaw United States Patent 3,294,098 AIR INJECTION IN SMOKING Peter Gustafson, 2509 Anderson Road, Coral Gables, Fla. 33134 Filed Aug. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 389,318 1 Claim. (Cl. 131184) This invention relates to tobacco smoking, and more particularly to an improved stem for a smoking pipe or for holding a cigarette or the like.

It has long been recognized that the accumulation of tar residues in the smoke is highly undesirable. These substances, when present in the smoke in excessive amounts, destroy the natural fragrance and aroma inherent in tobacco. But, of far greater significance, it also is recognized that certain elements in the smoke may have a deleterious effect on health. Many efforts have been made to remove such elements, but these attempts have been uniformly unsatisfactory.

The cigarette filter may be effective at first to condense and purify the smoke, but as the filter gets hot the condensate evaporates with rapid accumulation of tars and nicotine in the smoke.

The tobacco itself cleans the smoke at the inception of smoking in the manner of the filter, but the residues continue to collect in the tobacco; vaporize when tobacco burns and reenter the smoke.

Tobacco smoke can be cleaned by ejecting the condensate from the tobacco, at the same time, cooling passages in the pipe. This assures instant condensation and a lower concentration of residues in the smoke. By this means the quality or concentration of residues in the smoke can be controlled.

To clean and cool tobacco smoke air is injected directly into the tobacco burning in the bowl of a pipe or a cigarette. Air can also be injected into a pipe or cigarette holder and circulated under pressure through the stem and mouthpiece of these devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide air injection to the pipe bowl or to a cigarette or the like from the Withdrawal toward the burning end with positive assurance against passage of any air and other substances out through the withdrawal end.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a stern as for a pipe or for holding a cigarette or the like constructed as a piston to allow air injection into tobacco.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smoking pipe constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the pipe in one position;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the parts in another position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stem adapted as a cigarette holder; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the cigarette holder of FIG. 4.

Referring now in greater particularity to the drawings, and first to FIGS. 1-3, there will be seen a pipe designated generally by the numeral and comprising the usual bowl 12 and a stem 14. The bowl may be of more or less usual construction having a chamber or cavity 16 with tobacco 18 therein for burning. The bowl is provided at one side and near the bottom thereof with a cylindrical bore 20 communicating with the fire chamber 16 through an upstanding smaller bore or passage 22.

The stem 14 comprises a cylinder 24 inserted in the 3,294,098 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 bore 20. Preferably this is by means of a rather close fit allowing withdrawal of the stem, as for cleaning or repair or replacement. The cylinder is provided with a transverse opening 26 which aligns with the small bore 22 for gaseous communication. The end of the cylinder (the left end in FIGS. 2 and 3) may be left open since it is capped or closed by the bowl 12.

The stem further comprises a piston member 28 slidably received within the cylinder 24 and having a longitudinal bore or passage 30 extending from end to end therethrough. Conveniently, the piston portion tapers at 32 to a restriction or neck 34 and thereafter flares outward slightly at 36. The neck 34 and enlargement at 36 serve a two-fold purpose, namely facilitating holding of the pipe stem in the mouth, and providing a better finger grip as hereinafter will be pointed out. As will be seen in FIG. 1, the enlargement 36, and if desired, also the tapered portion 32 of the piston may be somewhat flattened to preclude unwarranted rotation of the pipe stem in the smokers mouth, more or less in accordance with conventional practice.

Operation of the device will be understood to be as follows. The piston may be at any desired position within the cylinder in accordance with the length of pipe stem desired by the smoker. In FIG. 2 the piston is shown in substantially fully telescoped or inserted position relative to the cylinder 24. The piston then is pulled out to the position shown in FIG. 3, conveniently by gripping between the thumb and first two fingers at the restriction or neck 34. The bore 30 then is closed off by a thumb =or finger as indicated in FIG. 3, and this thumb or finger presses the piston inwardly in the direction of the arrow to the left of the piston in FIG. 3. This compresses the air within the cylinder 24, and forces an air current up through the opening 26, bore 22, and chamber 16, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3.

The process is repeated using a few generally gentle strokes from time to time throughout the period of smoking.

Thus, the air injected to the burning tobacco ejects condensate in the tobacco. This keeps the tobacco fresh and crisp, and tends to prevent the tobacco from becoming soggy and of poor burning quality. It also ejects deleterious substances which are best not taken into the body of the smoker.

The pumping of air through the pipe in the manner just described also cools the pipe, thereby leading to greater comfort for the smoker. This also causes better condensation of deleterious substances which are undesired in the body of the smoker, and as will be understood, these substances .are subsequently pumped out by the air injection or pumping operation heretofore described.

Since the bore 30 must be closed off by the finger during the air injecting operation, it is quite impossible for air to pass out through the mouthpiece or discharge end of the pipe stem, whereby it is impossible for any deleterious substances to be carried toward the end of the pipe stem to be inserted in the smokers mouth.

A modification of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in connection with the smoking of a cigarette 38. The parts generally are similar to those heretofore shown] and described, and there is a cigarette holder 14a. The cigarette holder includes a cylinder 24a receiving the non-burning end of the cigarette, and a piston member 28a is received therein. The piston is generally similar to the piston previously described, having a central bore 30a, a tapered portion 32a with a restricted neck 34a and an enlargement 36a. One significant difference is that the forward end of the piston is counterbored at 40 to provide a larger air chamber. It Will be understood that a larger air chamber could similarly be provided in the pipe stern, but is generally not necessary due to the initial space at the left end of the cylinder, as seen in FIG. 2 in connection with the pipe. Such space could be provided in the cigarette holder of FIGS. 4 and 5, but would lead to an unduly long assemblage of cigarette and holder.

Air is pumped through the pipe (or cigarette) to clean and cool the pipe. Condensation products are ejected, and the tobacco is cleaned and cooled to aid in recondensing undesirable products. The air injection from time to time tends to prevent the tobacco from becoming soggy, thereby keeping it cleaner and more healthful, and promoting proper burning thereof. Obviously, tar formation also is inhibited.

The new pipe (or cigarette holder) disclosed herein has no more parts than a conventional pipe, yet it corretcs defects of conventional pipes. The pressure and velocity with which air is injected into the burning chamber of the pipe bowl, and conversely the draw required by the smoker to draw smoke through the pipe can to some extent be controlled by rotating the cylinder 24 within the pipe bowl 12 to misalign the opening 26 with the bore or passage 22 to a controlled extent. Such rotation also allows communication between the bowl and stem cylinder to be closed off completely. Air can then be ejected through the piston bore to clean it of moisture, etc., by pressing the piston in without digitally closing oi the bore.

The specific examples of the invention as herein shown and described will be understood as being by way of illustration only. Various changes in structure will no doubt occur to those skilled in this art, and such changes of burning tobacco therein, a longitudinally outwardly extending cylinder means mounted in said bowl means, said cylinder means having a side Wall defining a central bore extending beneath said combustion chamber, a first passage means extending upwardly through said side Wall at a location spaced outwardly from an innermost end portion of said central bore to interconnect said combustion chamber and central bore, piston means slidably mounted in said central bore, said piston means including an outer end portion adapted to be positioned in the mouth of a smoker and a second passage means extending completely through said piston means to interconnect said central bore and said outer end portion whereby smoke may pass from said combustion chamber through said bore and second passage means into the mouth of a smoker, said piston means being slidably movable from a first outer position to a second inner position for expelling gas from said bore into said combustion chamber to increase the rate of burning of said tobacco when said second passage means is blocked by the finger of a smoker, said piston means in said second inner position blocking said first passage means to thereby entrap a quantity of said gas in said innermost end portion of said central bore to retard further inward movement of said piston means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 351,500 10/1886 Degges 131184 2,612,172 9/1952 Gustafson 131l84 2,6 12,173 9/ 1952 Gust-afson 13 l184 FOREIGN PATENTS 634,132 8/1936 Germany.

24,943 11/ 1896 Great Britain. 26,346 12/ 1904 Great Britain.

. SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner. 

